C.C. Thomas
Sports Scene
Alex Niznak could feel no higher than when he walked off Ford Field last November.
The Ithaca quarterback had just led his team to a 45-35 win over St. Mary Catholic Central for a Division 6 state championship and a perfect season.
He also knew that he would be continuing his football career at Central Michigan University this fall.
Like most incoming Division I freshmen football players, he found that first year at the next level has been a bit of a reality check, going from being a star player to one trying to learn a new system and trying to fit in with a roster full of high-school star players.
Niznak has been red-shirted this season to learn the offense and the speed of the game, and he’s been a willing and able student. “Its been good,” he said. “It’s definitely not high school, it’s more mental. But it is a great opportunity to keep playing.
“I couldn’t have been any higher leaving Ford Field last year, and now I’m back at bottom,” he said. “But me being a competitor, now I’m a competitor in the weight room and on the practice field. Watching [starting quarterback Ryan Radcliff] and getting ready for my shot. Coach Enos said you don’t need to be on the field to be a competitor, because your chance will come to compete.”
It is that kind of attitude that has caught CMU head coach Dan Enos’ attention.
“Alex has done an outstanding job running our scout team,” Enos said. “We’ve seen a great amount of improvement from him week-to-week. He’s done a really good job of not only getting better with his techniques and fundamentals, but he’s also stayed on top of the gameplan every week. He’s a young man who is really trying to prepare like he’s going to play each week, even though he’s not playing. He’s handling the mental part of the game the right way, and red-shirting this year will really be a great benefit to him in the future.”
Niznak says the college game is tough.
“As a senior last year at Ithaca, the game did come real easy to me,” Niznak said. “Here it is more more mental, the playbook is so much bigger – you can’t go out there and wing it. You have to be prepared.”
So he continues to prepare and learn, waiting for his turn to show what he can do, just like he showed all the Ithaca fans last year.
“First of all, I am waiting till next year, but I can be a leader today,” Niznak said. “Fundamentals are something you can never be too good at. Footwork and knowledge of the offense. You can never know the offense too well. Fundamentals can’t be too sound. There are people making a lot of money that are trying to stop you when you are a quarterback in college, so I need to be ready.”